I'm going to have to break down......

[Destry L. Hoffard]

and wash my Carhartt bib overalls for the first time in 12 years. I've been hunting pretty hard already this season and they've reached a state of fragrance that's usually only achieved around late December. By then waterfowling is almost over and I can lay them aside to air out till the following September.

For some reason this year it's just not working out, the smell is slightly unbearable even after I've had them on all day and should be used to it. I'm afraid that the dirt and dried blood is the only thing still holding them together. I'd hate to have to buy a new pair, these are still perfectly good. I even spent $7 taking them to the upholstery shop to have a split in the leg sewed up just just last year.

Wish me luck, they're only the third pair I've ever had in my life. I made the second pair last from age 16 until 28 by using the same system of only allowing the rain to wash them and the sun to dry them. My first pair was hand me down from my older brother so they don't count as he washed them all the time and nearly wore them out before I got them. :crying:

[C Roger Giles]

Destry;

Take a ride up to Swan's in Howell,Mi, probably 30 min from your place, as they have the best and longest line of Carhartt products in the midwest and an assortment of other things of interest that have possibilities for the hunter/nimrod.

Carhartts do start out kind of smelly to make you feel at home. Also consider a new hat or cap purchase.

Rog

[Richard Flanders]

Holy Cow Destry..... I've worn Carhart pants out in 30days before. They certainly never last more than one 3-4 month season; after that they become my 'dress pants' for town use only.....

[Greg Baehman]

One could only imagine the story that seamstress of the upholstry shop has to tell every time someone walks through the doors wanting something out-of-the-ordinary done. It might go something like this: "Yes sir, we can do anything, one time we had this grizzly old duck hunter that came in wanting his stinky old 5XL bibbed overalls sewn up, I myself had to wear a heavy duty jump suit, industrial rubber gloves and a gas mask to git'r done...but we did"

[Richard Flanders]

I had a pair of Filson Tin pants that I wore for work for 20yrs... and yes, they were still waterproof and I had never rewaxed them as they did not give out a can with them back then. I had saved the leg portion I cut off when I shortened them for my stumpy legs and at about 15yrs had to use that to splice on new leg bottoms. These things looked pretty rude and funny but were still pretty much functional. Finally they started to tear out and I boxed them up and sent to Filson in Seattle to use for advertising... never heard from them I suspect they evacuated the office when they opened them. Always wondered what happened with them. Maybe I should have sent them as hazardous cargo....

[Dean Romig]

Rich, that Beaver in the Filson catalogs has been patched several times with sections of your donated Tin Pants.

[Don Kaas]

Omar, your personal tailor in Dearborn (Allah be praised...), should be able to make you a custom pair out of ballistic cloth...

[Dean Romig]

"Omar" . . . ? :shock: How ever did he win that monniker? Inquiring minds want to know :rolleyes:

[Bill Bolyard]

Destry,

From what I have herd you should also toss that hat of yours in there with the pants. One more thing, take them to the laundry mat so you don't gum up your own washer and dryer.:duck:

Bill

[Bill Murphy]

Dean, Don is referring to the tailor and tentmaker, not to the customer. The customer goes by his real given name, or his awarded moniker, "You da man".

[Don Kaas]

I'm just basking in the warmth of the Yankees' 40th AL pennant so I am not putting a true focus on parody today but seeing DeHo's infamous damp overalls draped over a sofa in various duck shacks is an awesome sensory experience both from a visual and olfactory point-of-view. Once dry, being surprisingly organized about his minimal but highly sentimental gear, he usually stores them in a sail bag stenciled "12/M Spinnaker"...

[Dave Suponski]

Its gonna be a great series....GO YANKEES....:bowdown:

[Destry L. Hoffard]

You'll all be happy to know that they came through the wash with flying colors. They're hanging over my deck railing right now drying out in the cool fall sunshine.

I washed them on the extra gentle cycle in cold water with Woolite just to be safe. Most of the blood stains didn't even come off which was a nice surprise. The smell is definitely improved, still slightly musty just like I like 'em but without that pungent odor of river mud and 12 years of fat sweaty duck hunter that was making even my companions of the chase a little queasy.


Destry

P.S. to Roger: The hat remains in it's sacred state of filth and will never be washed clean.

[Fred Preston]

Dean, You haven't been in Dearborn lately; it ain't your granddaddy's Ford.

Cliff Lee and Mr. Sabathia? What the hell am I doing hanging out with the Injuns.

[Jack Lester]

Indians? Are they still around? If it wasn't for the Lake County Captains I would have forgot what a ball team looks like. Jack